PHILADELPHIA — You can’t trust any of them.
Matt Walsh, Roger Goodell and the Patriots: They’re all lying, at best; disingenuous, at least.
Walsh, the Brian McNamee of the NFL, on Tuesday slunk into the offices of two men with better things to do in an effort to squash Spygate and its most insidious development: that the Pats taped a Rams walkthrough before they beat St. Louis in Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002.
Walsh was armed with evidence he never should have had after his stint as a low-level Patriots video gofer and scout — illegal, grainy videotapes he took of opponents flashing signals during games.
Why did he keep the tapes? As resume material, Walsh said, according to Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner, who Tuesday interviewed Walsh for more than three hours.
Because, of course, most prospective employers want to see how well you’ll cheat for them — and they’ll be delighted that you retain the damning evidence of their cheating
Walsh also insisted the Patriots never used the tapes during games, that the tapes were meant to help prepare for divisional opponents the Pats would face later in the season. That’s important, because Pats coach Bill Belichick’s defense in the matter was he misunderstood the rule: that recording signals was allowed if they weren’t used during that game.
Walsh on Tuesday said he was told by his employers to not get caught taping anything — particularly incriminating for Belichick . . . not that Goodell needed more ammo: “I didn’t accept Bill Belichick’s explanation for what happened, and I still don’t to this day.”
As such, he fined Belichick a half-million dollars, fined the Patriots a quarter-mil and docked the club a first-round pick in the recent draft.
Furthermore, three of the eight tapes Walsh turned over to the league were of opponents the Pats would not face again that season.
Then there is the continued arrogance and audacity of the Patriots. On Tuesday they issued an outrageous statement that trumpeted their self-perceived vindication with regard to taping the walkthrough.
First, Walsh only said he didn’t tape it, and he didn’t know of it being taped — not that such a tape never existed.
Second, Walsh did admit to being on the field with other Pats personnel during the Rams’ walkthrough, his presence permitted by the NFL, ostensibly to adjust on-field technological equipment that would be used on game day. Walsh on Tuesday told Goodell that, when asked, he told Pats coaches that he noticed the Rams employing a certain formation and a certain special-teams personnel package.
Shame on the Patriots for not just shutting up, polishing their three Lombardi Trophies and thanking Roger Goodell for not taking them back.
